I Like to Move It, Move It with Chris Tarr - TWiRT Ep. 693

Chris Tarr just finished a long-anticipated FM transmitter move. Big implications attended this move all the way across a metro area. The new site needed a directional FM antenna, and they decided that a new transmitter made more sense than moving the old one. Chris covers a lot of ground when contemplating any transmitter site move. Kirk Harnack touches on a few pointers for IP radio microwave links, including not trusting the existing infrastructure too much!
Show Notes:
Planning Transmitter Moves
Facilities - Building, road, fencing, parking, HVAC, roof, ice protection
Legal including FCC
Permitting - local zoning, building, etc.
Safety - fencing, insurance requirements, guy anchors, tower base
STL considerations & options
Frequency coordination for 950 & IP STLs
Fiber internet availability
AC Power - service sizing, etc.
Executing the move
What can be built and ready beforehand
What has to move overnight or a weekend
Absolutely no off-air time? Or minimal?
Actual cutover
Moving audio processing if needed
What if something goes really wrong?
Plan to go back if needed?
After the move (should have been before the move)
Tying up all the loose ends
Grounding, lightning protection
Putting redundancy in place at the new location
What if Internet installation is late? Wait or move ahead?

[@DeanKWilson]

Excellent real-life narratives full of information that Broadcast Engineers will surely learn from and enjoy.

[@hazmatca]

moving stuff is job security.

[@billfargo9616]

The biggest pain in changing transmitter locations is caused by the requisite FCC paperwork.